Big Secret

"The Deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. Here is the gnawing and unfaltering human hunger, and the rare individual who honestly satisfies this heart hunger will hold people in the palm of his or her hand and even the undertaker would be sorry when he dies" - Dale Carnegie

"I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people the greatest asset I posses, and the way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement. There is nothing else that so kills the ambitions of a person as criticisms from superiors. I never criticize anyone. I believe in giving a person incentive to work. So I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault. If I like anything, I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise." - Charles Schwab

"People would think they had committed a crime if they let their families or employees go for six days without food; but they will let them go for six days, and six weeks, and sometimes sixty years without giving them a hearty appreciation that they crave almost as much as they crave food." - Dale Carengie

"I shall pass this way but once; any good, therefore, that I can do or any kindness that I can show to any human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." - Unknown

With routine grind of daily life, we tend to forget what is important. We take people who are important to us for granted, like our spouse, children, parents, friends etc.. what becomes familiar sometimes becomes invisible. But what a difference sincere appreciation can make! When we appreciate somebody not only do they feel good but we will feel good too! What a win-win!! I am getting better at this myself. Because, like anything, we need to make it a habit. One of the reasons why I like to appreciate people is because, it shows them what I value the most. For ex, when somebody is wearing clean and polished shoes, when you compliment them, it shows that, you like wearing clean and polished shoes! Dale Carnegie says that everybody we see every day has an imaginery sign hanging from their neck that says "make me feel important". A simple compliment will make them feel very important. Sincere appreciation will make them feel important. In turn a lot more people will start liking us for this simple virtue that Dale Carnegie calls "The big secret of dealing with people"... so why not start on giving honest and sincere appreciation, starting today?

so long!...

-SamCam

S T A R T O V E R

When you've trusted God and walked his way
When you've felt his hand lead you day by day
But your steps now take you another way, Start over.

When you've made your plans and they've gone awry
When you've tried your best and there's no more try
When you've failed yourself and you don't know why, Start over.

When you've told your friends what you plan to do
When you've trusted them and they didn't come through
And now you're all alone and it's up to you, Start over.

When you've failed your kids and they're grown and gone
When you've done your best but it's turned out wrong
And now your grandchildren have come along, Start over.

When you've prayed to God so you'll know his will
When you've prayed and prayed and you don't know still
When you want to stop cause you've had your fill, Start over.

When you think you're finished and want to quit
When you've bottomed out in life's deepest pit
When you've tried and tried to get out of it, Start over.

When the year has been long and successes few
When December comes and you're feeling blue
God gives a January just for you, Start over.

Starting over means "Victories Won"
Starting over means "A Race Well Run"
Starting over means "God's Will Done"
Don't just sit there.............. START OVER.

- Unknown

A few days ago I published drawing the line. This poem is well written and means the same. Consistency/resilience is a great equalizer. For me starting over is nothing but "keep on keep'n on". This poem is worth reading over again. Every winner has started over at somepoint of time or the other. So Why not us?

so long!..

-SamCam

Criticism never works!

"If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive" - Dale Carnegie

"Don't complain about the snow on your neighbor's roof, when your own doorstep is unclean" - Confucius

"A great man shows his greatness by the way he treats little men" - Carlyle

"Criticisms are like homing pigeons, they always return home. " - Dale Carnegie

"Any fool can criticize, condemn and complain - and most fools do. But it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving." - Dale Carnegie

Have you ever seen somebody criticize themselves when something went wrong? Well the chances are you have not! Its simply because most people don't criticize themselves, not matter how wrong they are. I am sure we have seen people who are ready to pounce like a tiger and criticize anything at the first opportunity. As far as I know, criticism never works - even if the intention is noble. There is no such thing as constructive criticism. Why? In Dale Carnegies words, "humans are not creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion. Creatures bristling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity". When you criticize somebody, they invariably go in the defensive. They want to prove that they are right and justify themselves. Instead of condemning people, let's try to understand them. Let's try to figure out why they do what they do. Have you noticed people light up when you sincerely compliment them. You can use criticism to turn somebody off and compliments to uplift them. But there is a very thin line between complimenting somebody and trying to flatter them. Well, that's a completely different topic.

DON'T CRITICIZE, CONDEMN OR COMPLAIN. - Dale Carnegie

so long!...

-SamCam.

Critics corner

1. “How long will you go on training all day in a gymnasium & living in a dream world?” - Arnold Schwarzenegger’s family’s pleas for him to get a “respectable job”, not understanding his desire to become Mr. Universe.
2. “Liquidate the business right now & recoup whatever cash you can. If you don’t you'll end up penniless” – the attorney of cosmetic tycoon Mary Kay Ash week’s before she open her first store.
3. “It’s a cut throat business and you have got no chance of success.” – Accountant for Estee Lauder, Founder of multi-billion dollar cosmetics empire.
4. “The language on the floor is too rough and there is no ladies room.” – the response of officials of NYSE when Muriel Siebert wanted to buy a seat in 1967. she bought a seat on the exchange anyway and remained the only woman for 9 years.
5. “You can’t play the piano, an God knows you can’t sing. You better learn how to weave chairs so you can support yourself.” – A comment by Ray Charles’s teacher.
6. “You are foolish to try to sell sparkling water in the land of Coca-Cola drinkers.” – Advice given to Gustave Levin by several consulting firms when hearing about his plans to launch Perrier in the US.
7. “No one will stand in front of a TV screen & play a game with no physical action, like pin-ball.” – Executives comments after viewing an early demonstration of Pong, the first video game by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell.
8. “No one will buy a tape player that doesn’t record.” – Opinions of market researchers at Sony when chairman Akio Morita first proposed the Walkman.
9. “It’s a huge risk, and it will never fly.” – Aeronautical engineers evaluation of Bill Lear’s design for a Jet.
10. “Personal computers are a hobbyist fad.” Prediction of IBM, Intel, HP, Atari & countless other electronic companies.
11. “A global, 24 hour News network will never work.” Network executive’s response to Ted Turner’s plans for CNN.
12. “There is no market for it. If there were, major airlines would already be offering it. You won’t be able to find reliable couriers.” – conclusion of advisers to Fred Smith, Founder of Federal Express.

- UnStoppable

Where would the world be if these people listened to the critics? I heard somewhere that there is not one statue erected for a critic. The easiest thing in God's green earth is to find a person who says "no". Peter Drucker , the management guru, says "there is no such thing as market research. How can you do market research on something that does not exist?". In the same way, you cannot tell somebody that it cannot be done, just because no one has done it. Countless dreams have been lost because of naysayers. Countless people live and fade away in mediocrity because they cannot standup for what is right. "The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." If we light our souls on fire, and keep it lit with patience, we will prove that the critics are wrong, just like these 12 people. The critics will silence themselves and fade away..

so long!...

-SamCam

Drawing the line..

"You cannot go back have a brand new start, my friend,
But you can start now and have a brand new end"

No matter where we are today, no matter what circumstances we percieve to be under, we can draw a line right now and have a fresh begenning. We can use our past failures to influence future successes (John C Maxwell calls this 'failing forward'). But unfortunately many people use their past failures to anchor their future and go nowhere. The more I associate with successful people, the more I have come to realize that success is just a thought process. Destiny is just a decision away. So why not draw the line and make the decision to march forward and win our destiny?

So long!...

-SamCam

Mobile blogging..

I will be starting mobile blogging when I am travelling.
- SamCam

Can vs.Can't

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
Its almost certain that you won't.
Life's battles don't always go to the stronger woman or man.
But sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can.


If we start anything with a 'can't-do' attitude, we loose the battle even before it starts. Henry Ford said "If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right." The only reason why there has been progress in this world is because someone thought they could. If not for people like that we might still be living in a world without electricity, automobiles, road systems, cellphones (can you imagine a world without cell phones!) etc.. I once read about how the story of Atlanta Olympic games. It was an idea of one man who thought it is possible to get the Olympic games to Atlanta against all odds! There are numerous stories like this where somebody was naive enough to believe that they can be successful when everything was going against them. If you look back closely in your life, I am sure, that there have been incidents that proves the "If you think you can, you will" concept. It might be little things like learning to ride a bicycle, or learning a different language, or going to a concert/ballgame without the tickets but with the faith that you will find somebody that might want to sell their tickets. I am sure you have heard about the story of a "little engine who thought he could" and kept saying "I think I can, I think I can" until he did it. I think there is something to learn from that little engine. Don't you?

so long!...

-SamCam.

Horse vs Rider

“There are two ways of relating one’s self to life.One is that of playing horse while life rides. The other is that of becoming the rider while life plays horse. The choice as to whether one becomes the horse or the rider is the privilege of every person, but this much is certain: if one does not choose to become the rider of life, he is sure to be forced to become the horse. Life either rides or is ridden. It never stands still.”

I got this quote from one of Napolean Hill's books. I would recommend you read this quote again. It is powerful!. When life hits us, we have the choice to become a victim or a victor. That is the difference between 'failing' vs 'failure'. As long as one is 'failing' with an intention to get up and run again, one is a victor. A vicitm is a 'failure' because he/she refuses to get up when life delivers a powerful 'K.O' punch. If the attitude is 'I am either up or getting up!', then victory is definite. Like the quote says "Life either rides or is ridden". My choice is to ride, how about you?

so long!...

-SamCam

WHEN TO THINK BIG

· When little people try to drive you down, THINK BIG.
· When that “I-Haven’t-Got-What-It-Takes” Feeling crops up on you, THINK BIG.
· When an Argument or Quarrel seems inevitable, THINK BIG.
· When you feel Defeated, THINK BIG.
· When romance starts to slip, THINK BIG.
· When you feel your progress on the job/business is slowing down, THINK BIG.
- David Schwartz

Why should we thing big? Well, if we have to think anyway, why not think big. I have fell into the trap of thinking small because I was "rational", "realistic" etc. Most of the time rationalism is the foundation of mediocrity. May be one would want rationalize the past (I don't think it would matter because, past is gone. There is nothing you could do about it.) But rationalizing the future can be a BIG MISTAKE. Most people trap themselves and their future in a cloud of rationalism. On the other hand, realistic thinking is necessary to be successful. How can one know if realistic thinking is good or not? Well, if the so called "realistic" thinking is limiting one's abilities then that is not the time to be realistic. Realistic thinking can be very helpful while setting goals. One needs to set realistic goals. Goals that might stretch your abilities and yet are achievable. When "life" hands us a platter of obstacles, when we are in the process of achieving goals, that is the time to THINK BIG. I have lost count of the number of times that I had to stop myself from thinking small (mediocre) and start thinking big. Just a couple of days ago, when I did not reach the goals that I had set for myself, I started to think that maybe I am not capable. I started to put myself and my abilities down. But fortunately, I was able to catch the downward spiral and climb out of it and start thinking big again. I am convinced beyond doubt that, on the long run, THINKING BIG will help me and the people around me.

so long!...

-SamCam

PS: I would recommend a book called "THE MAGIC OF THINKING BIG" by David Schwartz. I can promise that you won't regret reading and learning from it!

Building a bridge..

An old man going down a lone highway
Came in the evening cold and gray
To a chasm vast and deep and wide
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.

The old man crossed in the twilight dime;
That swollen stream held no fears for him;
But he turned when safe on the other side
And built a bridge to span the tide.

‘Old man,’ said a fellow pilgrim near,
‘You are wasting your strength with building here;
Your journey will end with the ending day;
You never again must pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm deep and wide-
Why build you this bridge at the eventide?’

The builder lifted his old gray head.
‘Good friend, in the path I have come’, he said,
‘There followeth after me today
A youth whose feet must pass this way.
This swollen stream which has naught to me
To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him.’”
-Will Allen Dromgoole – THE BRIDGE BUILDER

Dogs don't think about thier puppy's future! Of all the living things in earth, the only one that has the capability to think of a future generation and plan for it is the humans. But too often we squander this privelege away. All we can think about is 'me', 'mine' etc., People do what people see not what they are told to do. So setting the right example can be more than critical. It can start a ripple effect that might last generations to come. Every human being in this earth has the responsibility of setting that example. But, unfortunately, this responsibilty is a 'personal responsibility', no body can force anybody to take this on.. Doing the right things and setting a right example is not an easy task. It requires discipline. It requires that our priorities are in the right order. It requires that we do the right things rather than getting hung up on doing things right! Everyday in everyway, we have the choice to build a bridge for the 'fair haired youth' that might pass this same swollen river that we are passing now.. then why not start building them from right NOW?

so long!...

-SamCam

Persistence

Climb till your dream comes true
Often your tasks will be many and more than you think you can do,
Often the roads will be rugged and the hills insurmountable too,
But always remember the hills ahead are never as deep as they seem,
And with faith in your heart, start upward and climb till you reach your dream.
For nothing in life that is worthy is ever too hard to achieve,
If you have the faith to try it and if you have the faith to believe.
For faith is a force that is greater than knowledge or power or skill,
And many defeats turn to triumph if you trust in God's wisdom and will,
For faith is a mover of mountains and there is nothing that God cannot do,
So start out today with faith in your heart and climb till your dreams come true!

Our greatest glory is not in never failing,
but in raising every time we fail - Confucius

Many people dream of success.
To me, success can be achieved only through repeated failure and introspection.
In fact, success represents the 1 percent of your work that results from 99 percent that is called failure. - Soichiro Honda

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. - Theodore Roosevelt

People who can't bear a moment of failure have doomed themselves to mediocrity, for they'll never be able to push themselves past a point that is uncomfortable or unfamiliar. Yet it is beyond that point where success dwells. - Cynthia Kersey

There is no such thing as impossible. Overnight, the impossible may not be possible. But over time the impossible certainly becomes possible. - Earl Graves.


Persistence is a great equalizer.... If we persist in the things we do, no matter how it looks like now, we will win. Success is inevitable when the action is fueled by persistence. People at the top of the mountain did not just fall there. They kept on climbing when the steep inclinations seemed endless! Everybody knows that success is just around the corner, but what we don't know is around which corner! So all we can do is keep trekking until we are around the corner where success lies hidden!

so long!..

-SamCam

It couldn't be done!

Some body said that it couldn’t be done,
But he with a chuckle replied, may be it couldn’t but he would be one, who wouldn’t say so till he tried,
So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin on his face as If worried he hit it,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn’t be done and he did it.
Somebody scoffed “oh you’ll never do that, at least no one has ever done it”,
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat and the first thing we knew he had begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of his grin without any doubting to quit it,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing that couldn’t be done and he did it.
There are thousands that tell you it cannot be done, there are thousands that prophecy failure,
There are thousand to point out to you one by one that there are dangers that wait for a sailor,
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin, just take off your coat and go to it,

Just start to sing as you tackle the thing that cannot be done and you will do it.

How do a handful of seeds of some corn and wheat know what to become when you sow them? What was put inside that seed when you covered it around and buried it up and you watered it? What’s in that seed that makes it want to push through that ground and reach up?Inside each creation of god there is a striving. Men through the history of time have called it ambition. Everybody has two voices inside of him or her. One that says you can’t do it; you are just not cut out to do what it takes in this business. But the other voice that says you can do it. Which path one takes depends on which voice one listens to. If you don’t listen to the one that has been helping you, pushing you and telling you to hope, reach and dream, the voice will die. You will see some people who have some song to sing but will never sing because they listen to the other voice.

so long!...

-SamCam

Attitude

Attitude...
It is the "advance man" of our true selves.
Its roots are inward but its fruit is outward.
It is our best friend or our worst enemy.
It is more honest and more consistent than our words.
It is an outward look based on past experiences.
It is a thing that draws people to us or repels them.
It is never content until it is expressed.
It is the librarian of our past.
It is the speaker of our present.
It is the prophet of our future.
- The Winning Attitude - John C Maxwell

Webster's dictionary defines attitude as 'a feeling or emotion toward a fact or state'. I think of it as one's reaction to circumstances. I heard this story about a guy who gets shot by some robbers and when the doctors, who are getting ready to operate on him, ask him if he is allergic to anything, he responds "yes sir, bullets!". Now, thats a great attitude. While this sounds good in a story, practicing it in real life takes a lot of work on oneself.
Attitude, whether good or bad, becomes second nature to a person when they repeatedly react in a certain way. But this can be changed. I believe the first step to achieve this is to associate with people who have good attitudes, because attitudes are contagious. Btw, John Maxwell say's, "there is only one thing more contagious than a good attitude – a bad attitude". So associations can be critical. Remember, most of the bad attitudes are a result of selfishness.

so long!...

-SamCam

Living a life of 'no-regrets'

I have to live with myself, and so
I want to be fit for myself to know,
I want to be able, as days go by,
Always to look myself straight in the eye;
I don’t want to stand, with the setting sun,
And hate myself for things I have done.
I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf
A lot of secrets about myself,
And fool myself, as I come and go,
Into thinking that nobody else will know
The kind of man I really am;
I don’t want to dress up myself in sham.
I want to go out with my head erect,
I want to deserve all men’s respect;
But here in the struggle for fame and pelf
I want to be able to like myself.
I don’t want to look at myself and know
That I’m bluster and bluff and empty show.
I can never hide myself from me;
I see what others may never see;
I know what other may never know,
I never can fool myself, and so,
Whatever happens, I want to be
Self-respecting and conscience free.

People with not so good habits may have good conscience, but people with good habits definetly have good conscience.. One of the reasons why god gave humans a guilt feeling is so that we can get back on track when we do the wrong things. Its like the correction mechanism in the rockets. When they are off-course, the correction mechanism, puts it back on track. But for us humans, we have the freedom to either listen or not listen to this correction mechanism called 'guilt'. It just doesn't stop there though. We also have the capability to induce this 'guilt' on ourself when we don't have to. We have the capacity to choose to do the right things and ignore the wrong things from that little voice that tries to lead us astray. But when we listen to the right voice and do the right things, we invariably increase our self-esteem and thus can live a self-respecting 'no-regrets' life.

so long!...

-samcam

WHO AM I?

I am your constant companion.
I am your greatest helper or your heaviest burden.
I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.
I am completely at your command.

Half the things you do,
You might just as well turn them over to me.
And I will be able to do them quickly and correctly.
I am easily managed; you must merely be
Firm with me.

Show me exactly how you want something done,
And after a few lessons, I will do it automatically.
I am the servant of all great people, and, alas, of all
Failures as well.

Those who are great, I have made great.
Those who are failures, I have made failures.
I am not a machine, though I work with the precision of a machine,
Plus the intelligence of a human.

You may run me for profit, or run me for ruin.
It makes no difference to me.

Take me, train me, be firm with me,
And I will put the world at your feet.
Be easy with me and I will destroy you
Who am I? ......



....I am HABIT.


Habits can make you or break you! Habits are like 2 year olds. If you let them loose without supervision, they will eventually get you in trouble. The only way to lead a satisfied life is to cultivate good habits that will lead you to where you really want to end up in life. Oh, and the best way (if not the only way) to get rid of old (bad) habits is to replace them with new (good) habits!

so long!...

-samcam